Emergency-stopper for automatic sprinklers.



J. P. CASEY.

EMEEGENGY STOPPER FOR AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

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J. P. CASEY. EMERGENCY STOPPERI FOB AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1908. 917,923, Patented Apr.'13, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

4% liwmtar 'curately position emergency stoppers inihereinafter described and claimed.

UNITE JAMES P. CASEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

EMERGENCY-STOPPE R FOB AUTOMATIC SPRINKLERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Application 'filed July 29, 1908. Serial No. 445,908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, James P. Cassy, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Emergency-Stoppers for Automatic Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to emergency stoppers for automatic lire sprinklers.

In cases where automatic sprinkler heads open accidentally, it is essential that the same be closed very quickly so as to prevent or lessen damage therefrom. In practice, it has been found difficult to quickly and actially in applying the same, especially in cases where water is being discharged under heavy pressure, owing to the construction and arrangement of the devices.

This invention, therefore, has for its principal objects to facilitate the quick and positive positioning of the device, to secure ease of manipulation, and to attain certain advantages hereinafter more fully appearing.

The invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, showing an emergency stopper embodying my invention in its initial position when being applied to an inverted or pendent sprinkler head; Fig. 2 is a similar view with portions of the device removed and showing it in effective position to close said sprinkler head; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vien of a modification of thedevice in its initial position when being applied to an upright sprinkler head; Fig. 5 is a similar view with portions removed and showing the device in effective position to close said sprinkler head; Fig. 6 is-a top plan view of the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, illustrating a preferred form of plug or stopper.

The device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inelusive, comprises a handle member 1 of which only a fragment is shown, but in practice should be of a length sufficient to permit the stopper to be applied at a height by a person standing upon the floor. Mounted on the end portion of the handle 1 is a bracket member 2. This bracket member is provided with a vertical groove or slideivay 3 in which a member 4 is slid-ably fitted. This member 4 is provided at its outer end with a rigid arm or lateral extension 5. On the end of the arm 5 is secured a plug or stopper 6 which is adapted to fit the dis charge opening in the sprinkler head. Preferably, the plug is made of rubber and conoidal or conical in shape. It is provided with a central opening therethrough for the reception of a securing screw or bolt 7 which is secured in the arm 5, as best shown in Fig. 7. The head 8 of this screw is slightly pointed so as to guide the plug into the discharge opening of the sprinkler head.

On one edge of the member 4 is formed a toothed rack 9. This rack is arranged to be engaged by a toothed sector 10 which is a part of an arm or lever 11. A cover-plate 12 is secured on the member 2 to hold the slidable member 4 in place. This cover-plate is provided with an ear or projection 13 to correspond with a similar portion 14 on the member 2, and both portions 13, 14 are provided with alining openings in which the pivot pin of sector 10 is secured. The slidable member 4 is provided with a lug or projection 15 which extends outwardly through a slot in the cover-plate 12 and has attached thereto one end of a helical spring lfiwhose opposite end is secured to a lug or projection. 17 on the cover plate. The function of the spring is to yieldingly hold the slidable member in retracted position.

On the bracket member is an elongated arm or extension 18 which has two oppo sitely extending lugs or projections 19 located thereon a consierable distance inwardly from the end. The extension 18 is adapted to be passed through the yoke A of a sprinkler head B until the lugs or lateral Wings 19 abut against the yoke. These lugs 19 are so located that the plug or stopper 6 may be accurately positioned to easily enter the discharge opening of the sprinkler head.

The manipulating means comprises .a ratchet-toothed bar 20 which is connected by a wire or other suitable flexible connection 21 to the end of the lever 11. The bar 20 is arranged to slide through a loop or yoke member 22 which is provided with an inturned portion or tooth 23 adapted to engage the ratchet teeth 24 on said bar 20. This loop or yoke 22 is. of a depth greater than the width of the bar so that said bar may be moved inward to disengage its teeth freinthe portion 23 on the yoke when it is desired to release the ratchet, bar in order to m anipu' late the device. The lower portion of the bar is provided with an angular extensionor handle which has a hook or knob 26 at its end so as to prevent the operators hand from accidentally slipping therefrom.

The operation of the device just described is as follows: To close a sprinkler head which has accidentally opened, it is only necessary to graspthe handle member 1 and insert the elongated arm 18 through the yoke portion A of the sprinkler head B seeing, of course, that the movable member 4 is in its retracted position. When the lugs or lateral extensiohs 19 on means 18 stop against the yoke of the sprinkler head, as shown at Fig. 1, the ratchet bar- 2o is pulled forcibly downwardly and the lever 11 which is connected thereto is rocked, thereby moving the slidable member 4 upwardly until the stopper 6 is forced tightly into the opening in the sprinkler head (see Fig. 2). (Dwing to the angular connection between the end of the lever 11 and the ratchet 20, said bar is held securely in engagement with the tooth or inturned portion 23 on the yoke member 22 when the wire 21 is under tension.

To release the device the upper end of the ratchet bar is pressed-inwardly until its teeth clear the tooth of the "yoke. The spring 16 will then retract the sl id'able member 4 and thereby release the stopper from the discharge open-ing in the sprinkler head,

the modification shown in Figs. i and 5, the device is arranged for upright sprinkler heads. In this case the general construction and arran ement is to that provided for pendent or inverted sprinkler heads, with the exception that the positioning arm an's the stopper carry-ing arm are reversed. In this case, the stationary bracket member 2 7 carries a positioning arm dr' ex ten'sion '28 having wings oi lugs 29. A grooved member 80 is arranged to slide on the member 27 This slida'b'le member 30 has arm 31 which carrie's the stepper 6. The cover-plate 32 on the mtvabie member is provided on its lower end with a projection 33 which has one end of a spring 34 attached thereto. The other en'dof thespr ing is secured to a stud or proj'ectien 35 on the upper portion of the member 27. In this base, theslidable menibarlias the pivoted arm or lever 11 mounted thereon. The toothed sector portion 10 of the lever meshes :with a rack 36 on the stationary member 27 The operation of this modification is similar to the one arranged for inverted head's, except that the arrangemeta iii certain parts "of the device is reversed. A

@ bv'iou'sly, the device admits cf consider able modification without departing from the invention, and, therefore, 1 do not wish to be limited to the exact constructions and arrangements shown.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. Anemergency stopper for automatic fire sprinklers comprising an elongated handle member, 'a "stopper-carrying member and a positioning member mounted at one end of said handle member in cooperative relationto each other, one of said members being movable lengthwise of said handle member, a toothed rack on one of said second mentioned members, a toothed sector on the other of said members in engagement with said rack, a lever extension on said sector,

and a manipulating device at the other end of said handle member operatively connected to said lever extension.

2. An emergency stop-per for automatic fire sprinklers comprising an elongated handle member, astopper-carryin member and a positioning member mounted on one end of said handle member, said members being relatively movable lengthwise of said handle member, means for resiliently holding said members in closed position, a rack and pinion connection between said members, a lever For actuating said pinion, a manipulating device located near the opposite end of said handle member and flexibly connected to said lever and means for releasably holdingsaid manipul-ating device in locked position whensaid flexible connection is drawn taut.

3'. An emergency stopper for automatic fire sprinklers comprising an elongated hail-- dle member, a stopper-carrying member hav ing an arm upon which the stopper is mounted, a positioning member comprising an elongated arm provided with lateral projectio-ns adjacent to said stopper, said stoppercarrying and positioning members being mounted on one end of said handle member and being also relatively movable, a rack and pinion connection between said members, a

lever for actuating said pinion, a manipulatin g device located near the opposite end "of said handle member and "flexibly connected to the end of said lever, said manipulating device comprising a ratchet-toothed bar slid ably mounted relatively to a stop on said handle member and arranged to be held in engagement therewith, when said flexible connection is under tension.

'4. An emergency stopper for automatic fire sprinklers comprising a handle member, a stopper-carrying member and a positioning member mounted thereon, said members being relatively movable, and said positioning member comprising an elongated substantially horizontal arm having oppositely extending substantially horizontal lateral member adjacent to said lateral extensions and means for actuating said stopper-carrying member.

5. An emergency stopper for automatic fire sprinklers comprising a handle member, a positioning member fixedly mounted on said handle member, said positioning member comprising an elongated arm haying lateral projections located inwardly from its end, a stopper-carrying member movably mounted in cooperative relation to said positioning member, a stopper mounted on said stopper-carrying member adjacent to lateral projections on said positioning member, a rack and pinion connection between said stopper-carrying and positioning members, means for actuating said pinion and securing the parts in actuated position, and means for restorin and resiliently holding the parts to norma positions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses this 23rd day of July, 1908, at St. Louis, Missouri.

JAMES P. CASEY. Witnesses:

G. A. PENNINGTON, l EDGAR T. FARMER. 

